Hose coupling



April 4, 1939. R. s. SANFORD HOSE COUPLING Filed .Sept. 16, 1936 0v 4 M 7 a [Pay Ratented Apr. '4, 19 39 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HOSE COUPLING Ro s. Sanford, Pittsburgh, Pa., assignor to Bendix-Wcstinghouse Automotive Air Brake Company, Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of. Delaware Application September 16, 1936, Serial No. 101,130

1 Claim.

This invention relates to couplings for flexible conduits and more particularly to couplings of the type adapted for detachable connection as regards the component parts thereof.

There have been proposed heretofore two general classes of couplings especially adapted for flexible conduits, namely, a pressed-on or permanently attached type and a detachable or renewable type. characteristic of such couplings is that of permanence to the extent that once the fitting has been associated with the end of the flexible conduit, it is impossible to detach the parts without destroying some essential part of the fitting and thus rendering the coupling incapable of re-use. As regards couplings of the second class, the distinguishing feature thereof is that of detachability. Generally, the couplings of this class are so constituted that the various parts may be readily connected and disconnected without seriously impairing the effectiveness of the seal between the parts thereof.

In couplings of the detachable type heretofore proposed, difiiculties have been encountered in ensuring that theseal between the parts thereof is maintained efiicient and tight notwithstanding repeated connections and disconnections over a long period of time. Various proposals have been heretofore made for maintaining efilcient seals, but for the most part they have tended to complicate the coupling structure by the great number, of parts required to be assembled each time the coupling parts are connected.

It is accordingly one of the objects of the present invention to provide a novel detachable coupling embodying relatively few parts and capable of rapid assembly and disassembly.

'Another object of the invention is to provide, in a coupling of the above type, a novel combined conduit reinforcing and end-sealing member which forms not only an efiicient and rigid internal support for the conduit end associated with the coupling but also constitutes an essential part of the necessary seal between the coupling parts.

Still another object is to reduce the number of operations required for connecting or disconnecting the coupling parts without impairing the sealing efliciency of the fitting as a whole.

A further object is to increase the eifectiveness of the fluid-tight seal between the coupling parts without the necessity of increasing the force required to assemble the coupling, thus avoiding the possibility of breaking any of the parts.

A still further object is to provide a coupling of relatively few parts, capable of economy of In the first class, the general invention will appear more fully hereinafter from the following detailed description of the invention when taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein a preferred form of the invention is illustrated. It is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawing is employed for purposes of illustration only and is not designed as a definition of the limits of the invention,reference being had for this purpose to the appended claim.

In the drawing, wherein similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views:

Fig. 1 is a side view, partly'in section, of a coupling constructed in accordance with the present invention and illustrating the coupling in disconnected condition;

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 except that the parts are shown in connected condition;

Fig. 3 is a side view of the compression sleeve prior to contraction;

Fig. 4 is an axial sectional view of the sealing gasket employed, and

Fig. 5 is a side view of a typical flexible conduit installation wherein the end couplings are constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Referring more particularly to Fig. 1, a coupling constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention is illustrated therein as being constituted by a body member I adapted to threadedly receive a shell or coupling nut 2 surrounding an end portion 3 of a flexible conduit for the purpose of connecting the conduit with the body member in fluid-sealing relation.

is interiorly reinforced by a rigid reinforcing member or sleeve 5 and the conduit end is firm- 1y compressed about the sleeve 5 by means of a compression sleeve 4 surrounding the conduit end and permanently contracted around the same.

The compression sleeve prior to contraction is illustrated in Fig. 3 and, as shown, includes a plurality of oppositely-extending staggered tongues 6 and l which are adapted to be contracted as illustrated in Fig. 1 during initial assembly of the coupling parts, as will appear more fully hereinafter.

Upon initial assembly of the coupling parts pression sleeve to force the latter inwardly in order that the compression sleeve be flrmly em-- bedded within the outer wall of the conduit. This action serves, moreover, to firmly compress the conduit about the interior reinforcing sleeve 5. After this initial operation, the coupling parts may be disassembled, as illustrated in Fig. i, it being observed that the compression sleeve 4 and .the supporting sleeve 5 are thereafter permanently associated withtlie end of the conduit.

One of the features of the present invention resides in the provision oi means for efiectlvely sealing the end of the conduit with the coupling body each time the body and coupling not are connected. To this end, the body is provided with an end seat it against which a flexible annular gasket I3 is positioned, the gasket being initially .preferably rectangular in cross-section, as illustrated in Fig. 4. For sealingthe conduit end with respect to the gasket It, the sleeve 5 is provided exteriorly of the conduit with a radiallyextending flange H, saidflange being extended axially of the conduit and providing a conical face II and a cylindrical portion id. The conical face Ii is adapted to coact with the gasket 13 while the cylindrical portion It is adapted to be guided into and received by abore I! provided in the coupling body, as illustrated in Fig. 2.

In connecting the coupling parts alter the permanent contraction of the sleeve 4 about the end oi the conduit, the conduit end thus assembled and denoted by reference numeral II is inserted within bore ll of the coupling body I',' and shell '2 is threaded upon said body. During this operation, the entire assembly ll is ior'ced upwardly. as viewed in Fig. 2, and the conical face II or the flanged extension I coacts with the lower annular edge or the gasket ll. In view or the shape or the race II and the initial contact thereci with the gasket II, it will be observed that an appreciable wedging or camming action is eiiected dure lng upward movement or the assembly is to the end that the gasket it is compressed with a conslderable force and is deformed to the shape shown in 1'18. 2. .There'it will be observed that the area oicontact between the race II and the gasket is considerable and it will also be understood that in view of the wedging action referred to above, such contact constitutes an extremely eflective fluidtight seal. The cylindrical extension I during the flnal stage of upward movement of the assembly ll with respect to the coupling body is guided into and is received within the bore l1, thus generally centering the coupling p rts with relation to one another and aligning the bore of the sleeve 5 with bore 2| of the body member I. It will be observed that the flanged extension I of the sleeve 5 is of such diameter that it is readily received within the bore IQ of the body member and, moreover, iorms an effective end support ior'the extreme end 01 the conduit 3. It will also be observed thatduring the assembling operation, the force moving the conduit assembly ll upwardly within the body member is transmitted by the compression sleeve 4 p to flanged. extension ll through a portion of the flexible conduit, thus forming in eflecta resilient connection, and such an arrangement avoids the possibility of breaking any of the rigid parts of the coupling.

In Fig. 5, there is illustrated a typical installation of a flexible conduit structure embodying apair of couplings constructed in accordance witl the present invention. that in an installation of this character, when the conduit 3 is worn or otherwise unfit for service,

It is desired topoint out I ltis notnecessary to scrap the conduit together with all the coupling parts. It is only necessary to provide a new conduit section with new interior supporting sleeves and compression sleeves; Conduit sections so equipped may be thus associated with the coupling nuts 2 associated with the old conduit and the new section may be used as heretofore in connection with the body members l which have been permanently associated with some stationary equipment such as that indicated diagrammatically at II and 22. with lit such an arrangement, the new section of conduit maybe readily attached to the body members I without the necessity of employing flanged unions or swivel connections in the conduit section.

There has thus been provided by the present invention a conduit coupling of the detachable type which comprises relatively few parts and one which may be readily connected and disconnected with the assurance that the coupling will provide an efflcient seal at all times. The use of the interior supporting sleeve for the conduit end provides a rigid support for the conduit in order that crushing of the same is completely avoided. The permanent association 0! the compression sleeve about the conduit end enables the couplin to be connected and disconnected by merely screwing or unscrewing the coupling nut with relation to the body member. The eflectiveness oi the seal is considerably enhanced by the end seal provided and which is constituted by the cooperation between the annular gasket and the tapered flanged portion provided upon the interior supporting sleeve.

derstood by those skilledin the art that various changes may be resorted to without departing .from the spirit or the invention. Reference will,

therefore, be had to the appended claim for a definition or the limits of the invention.

What is claimed is:

In combination with a coupling body member having a seat, an annular gasket of rectangular cross-section positioned on said seat, a tubular reinforcing sleeve positioned within the end portion or a flexible conduit and having a tapered end portion disposed exteriorly of said conduit. a compression sleeve permanently contracted around the end portion of said conduit for compressing the lattcr and eflecting sealing engagement of the inner wall thereof with the tubular portion or said reinforcing sleeve, and a nut loosely surrounding said end portion oi the conduit, said nut threaded to said body member and cooperating with said compression sleeve for forcing said conduit end and reinforcing sleeve into said member for effecting sealing engagement between the gasket and the tapered end portion or said reinforcing sleeve, the contact between the tapered portion of the sleeve and the gasket 1 deforming the latter through the wedging action between these two parts.

., ROY S. SANFORD.- 

